Improvement in pavements



1.13. Woon.

y PAVEMENT. 110,176,726. y s 'Emma pm 25,1876.

.- i messes I 'entur- 4% @www UNITEO STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JjoHN B. WOOD, or SANTA ROSA, OALINORNIA-- A `|MPRovEMENT IN PAvEMENTs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,726, dated April 25, 1876; application led l February 10, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN B. WOOD, of Santa Rosa, Sonoma county, State ot' California, have invented an Improved Pavement; and I do hereby declare the following descrip# tion and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in `the art. or science to which it most nearly appertai'ns to make and use my said invention or improvement without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates to an improved pavement or doorway f'or streets, courts', stables, alley-ways, and other places where it may be desired to construct a foot or road way.

My improvementconsists in the employment ot' the bark of trees as a material vfor constructingrsuch walks, pavements, or streetcovering. yForthis purpose I can use the bark otany species of large trees which produce a .bark or epidermis of sufcientthickness;

"but I prefer to use the bark of the California redwood, (Sequoia) or fir, (Alava) as thebark ot' these trees grows to a considerable thickness, and while it is quite durable,.it possesses elastic qualities, which especially adapt it for pavements.

The bark can be placed in lengths upon a roadway, so as to form an excellent and durable pavement; but I prefer to cut it into short lengths, a a, and place these lengths ver' tically side by side, so as to present the end of thc grain of the bark for a wearin o-surface until 1 form them into blocks, B, ot' convenient size to handle and place upon the roadway.'

Any suitable adherent, such as 4asphaltum or cement, canbe used for uniting the lengths i tioned is understood by only a few persons;

but I have seen pieces of it lying upon roadways where a' continual travel passed over it for months without destroying it, and this was Whenthe bark Was lying lengthwise upon the ground, without the advantage of being Seton end, so as to present the end of its grain for wear.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, land desire to secure by Letters Pat-4 f ent, is-

Pavement blocks B, constructed of short lengths of' the bark of trees, placed vertically` side by side and cemented together, so as to present the end ofthe grain ofthe bark for Wear, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN B. WOOD.

Witnesses: Y d

JN0. T. FoRTsoN, GEO. P. NOONAN. 

